Oven door and hinge construction



July 4, 1950 E. A. JONES ET AL 2,513,414

- OVEN noon AND HINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l M gag July 4, 1950 E. A. JONES ETAL OVEN noon AND HINGE CONSTRUCTION File dNov. 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented july 4, 1950 OVENDOOB. AND-HINGE CONSTRUCTION Edwin A. Jones, Webster Groves, and Robert E; Gardiner, University City, Mo., assignors t Majestic Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application November 4, 1944, Serial No. 561,904

4 Claims.

Generallyythe presentinventionrelates to improvements in oven door "constructions. More particularly, it concerns improvements in the 013- erating mechanism associated with the opening and closing of oven doors which swing vertically, are hinged at thebottom, and "Whosehingeclconnections with the body of a range, 'or the body of a commercial bakingand 'roasting'structure, are entirely or at least partially concealed.

As at present constructed, oven doorsof this type'frequently failto achieve their primary purpose, which is to seal the oven'openingagainst the escape of heat during baking =and=roasting operations.

Such failure-may be due to any one ofa number'of causes or to'a combinationpf them. As;

anillustratiom a slight irregularity at one point in the oven opening'surrcunding faceof the front panel frequently tends to prevent the'major portion of the oven door from-contacting saidface, thus obviously permitting the'escape'o'f a'considerable amount of heat. Again, such an irregularity may'exist on the inner face of the door itself producing a similar unfavorable condition.

The disadvantages enumerated above are permanent ones,and one object of this invention is to overcome or at least minimize, the heat "loss resulting from such structural imperfections, by the provision ofxa novel door operating mechanism adjacent the'sides of the oven in cooperation with a novel hinge arrangement provided on the ovendoor *proper.

Non-permanent disadvantageous .conditions also frequently arise during baking and roasting operations, due to variationsr'esulting from expansions and contractions in the contiguous surfaces of the front panel and the oven door of present constructions, accompanied by. attendant heat losses of variable degrees.

A further object of the invention is to overcome, or at least reduceto a minimum, these heat losses byjp'roviding theoven door with a compen-- sating'hinge arrangement cooperable with an adjustable spring-controlled linkage mechanism suitably mounted adjacent one or both sides of the oven ,exteriorly thereo'flalbeit interiorly with respect tolthe rangeor commercial ovento which the invention is applicable.

Oven doors, as well as the oven-surrounding portions of thefront panelcontiguous -thereto, frequently warp, thereby creatinga similar heatloss condition. The present invention also-proposesto remedy, at least to some extent, a defective conditionzof this '5 kind.

Otherfeatures andobjects will be apparent or pointed 'out in the following descriptionandin the drawings which form a part of this'specification. -The specific constructions illustrated, though preferred, are subject, of course,to modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevational view'of a range embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional'view on the line 22 in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 inFig-l;

Fig. "4 is a fragmentary'vertical sectional'view on the line'44 in'Figs. l and'3;

Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are enlarged fragmentarysectional views taken substantially on the lines 5 -'5, 6-45 and ll,- respectively, in Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary verticalsectional view on the line 88 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view taken on the'line 9-'9in Fig. 8.

With particular reference 'to'Figs. 1-9, incl-usive, a range, generally indicated A, is mounted on and supported by a suitable base .13. A 'conventional fire door C is provided, as are ornamental panels E and F and the usual backguard G. The oven door of'the invention is generally indicated D, and the operating mechanism therefor-is generally indicated M. The door Disof'the typethat is hinged at the bottom'and is provided with a handle cl-whereby it maybe swung vertically from open to closed position or vice versa. The oven 0 has itsright and left side wal1s'26 and 2lspaced from the right and left end. walls 28 and 29, respectively, of the range. It may otherwise be of conventional construction.

As-shownin Fig. 3, the front panel or wall 30 of the range has formedtherein a flanged oven opening 3 I, the flange being turned inwardlyand a'daptedto be welded or'otherwiserigidly secured to the adjacent portions of the oven casing. "A vertical partition Wall orgpanel 32,extending'from the front Wall 36 to therear Wall (not shown) of the range, and rigidly held in place .bywelding or other securing means, is located intermediate the side wall =26 of the oven and the end wall'28 of the range body.

. The door operatingmechanism M, which will presently be described, is mounted on and supported -'by the said partition wall, which, incidentally, in conjunction with'the'side wall 26 of theoven and the front and rear walls of the easing, formsa down flue H for the products of combustion. Thus, the operating "mechanism is shielded from the grime and soot unavoidably present in a range of the type illustrated. It should, however, be noted that the invention is not limited to coal or wood burning ranges, as will appear. I

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a bracket 33 provided with a laterally extending stud or pivot pin 34 is rigidly secured to the panel 32. Pivotally mounted on the stud 34 and held in place by a cotter pin or the like is a link 35 which, when the door D is in closed position, is yieldingly maintained in an approximately horizontal position by means of a compression spring 36 interposed between an angular bracket 31 fixed to the panel, and a spring-seat 38.

The spring-seat is adjustably maintained on the threaded lower end of a rod 39 by means of a nut 40. The laterally extending portion 31 of bracket 3'! is provided with an aperture M through which the rod 39 passes. The spring 36,- as shown in the drawings, surrounds that por- .tion' of rod 39 extending between abutment 3! and spring-seat 38.

The upper end of rod 39 terminates in a reversely bent or hook portion d2 engageable in aho'le 43 formed in one end of the link 35 a slight distance from the pivot 34. The opposite ,end of link 35 is apertured to receive the lower "end'hook portion 44 of a rod 45 whose upper end terminates in a similar hook formation for a reasonto be later explained.

. The oven door D is preferably constructed of 'a'front'panel 46 and a back panel 41 in spaced relation, with suitable insulating material between them, and with their marginal flanges 58, whose configuration is best seen in Fig. 9. The

hinge member 50 to the right is permanently fastened to the panel 32, while the one'on the left is secured to the left side wall 27 of the oven.

Attention is directed to Figs. 7 and 9, wherein.

it is seen that the apertures in each bracket 48 through which the pivot pin 49 passes are of a size to snugly embrace the pin, while the aperture in each member 50 is in the form of an elongated slot. Suitable openings 52 are provided'in the front wall 30, the flange 32' of the panel 32 and the flange 21' of oven wall '21 to accommodate the forwardly extending horizontal portion 53 of the hinge members. The door panel 41 likewise has elongated openings 54 therein to permit the oven door D to swing about the pivot 49 as is understood.

' Welded or otherwise fastened to the inner face of the rear door panel 41 are two aligned hinge brackets 55, similar to the brackets 48, and located directly thereabove. One of these brackets has a. pivotal connection 56 with one end of a second link 57 included in the operating mechanism M. The other has a similar connection with an identical link to which a counterweight 58 is attached. Openings or slots 59 and 69 analogous to the openings 52 and 54, respectively, are provided for the links 51 as shown.

The ends of the links 51 remote from the pivots 56 terminate in a reversely curved stopportion 6| whose formation is such as to provide a notch 62 therein. Notch 62 of the link 51 included in the operating mechanism M is engaged .by the.

4 aforementioned hook portion of rod 45, designated by the numeral 63. In the embodiment illustrated, the notch 62 in the counterweight carrying link 51 is not utilized. It is to be understood, however, that the invention also contemplates the installation of an identical operating mechanism M on the left side of the oven when warranted,'for instance, on doors of large commercial ovens. In such installations, the counterweight 58 is dispensed with.

During opening and closing movements of the door, each link 51 rides over a roller 64 loosely journaled in the bifurcated upper ends 65 of a pair of stationary supports 66, one of which is attached to panel 32, the other to the side wall 21 of the oven. The arrangement is illustrated clearly in Figs. 8 and 9, where it is also seen that the link 51 is angularly ofiset as at 61, and that said offset portion is so located as to be in contact with roller 64 when the oven door is in its closed position. Adjacent said ofiset, each link is also provided with a downwardly extending hump 68.

Operation The manner in which the various elements operate should now be apparent from an inspection of the drawings. The appearace of the parts when door D is in its closed or normal position is shown in full lines throughout the various views, while the broken lines indicate the relative positions they occupy when door D is in its open position.

To open the oven door, the handle (1 is grasped and swung vertically downwardly. Initially, the downward travel of the door is retarded slightly by the offset 61 and the hump 68. But since the adjacent end of the link 5'l is pivoted while the opposite end'thereof is yieldingly held against the roller by spring 36, via rod 45, link 35, and rod 39, as is understood, this initial resistance is easily overcome. Further" downward movement of the door may follow, the links 51 ridin smoothly over their respective rollers 64 until their stop portions Bl impinge against the flanges 32' and 2'! above the slots 59, at which time the door comes to rest in a horizontal plane. Due to the location of the brackets 55, the oven door in this position, while also supported by the hinge arrangements 48, 49, 58, receives its principal support from the arms 51.

To close the door, handled is grasped and swung vertically upwardly until theinner door panel 41 comes in contact with the front panel 30 of the range about the oven opening. It is at this time that the mechanism M in conjunction with the elongated slot 5| attains its primary objective, which is to effectively seal the oven opening against the escape of heat therefrom.

As the door approaches the. end of its closing operation, the humps 68 engage the stationary rollers 64, retarding a too rapid travel at that time, and'obviating any tendency of the door to slam. By means of thehumps 68 in conjunction with said rollers, the door may also be left ajar when it is desired to cool the oven.

In its closed position, door D is supported by the hinge parts 48, 49, 58, which maintain it constant insofar as vertical movements are concerned. Horizontal movements, however, may be had toward or away from the face of the front panel 38 because of the configuration of the aperture'5l. Thus, the door'D, under the action of spring 36, may accommodate itself to irregularities in the front panel-30 or irregularities in,

demand the back panel;of'ithe doorflitselfi The spring 36, by means of its associatedrod 39, link 35, rod 45 and link '55, exerts a pullihg action on the. door to maintain it firmly against the front panel 30 at all times.

The irregularities under consideration may result from: defects in manufacture or immaterial, uneven expansionvor contraction. of contiguous parts when subjected to heat or-cold,ywarping, etc. Whatever the cause,, the location of the pivotalconnection 58 between the door and the mechanism M, coupled with the horizontally elongated aperture 5! in the hinge member 5t, imparts to the oven door 13' sufficient flexibility, so to speak, to enable it to automatically adjustv itself into itsmost effective sealing-position about the oven opening.

Fortuitous opening of the oven is obviated'aby the offsets 61 of links5'i. Smooth operation during! door opening and closing is assuredby the counterweight 58,. in installations wherein it is employed". The offsets 6'! also provide a 'wedging action: to maintain the door securely closed, the spring and counterweight at such time exerting a considerable downwardpull on the links. The offsets transfer this to .a horizontal pull, so that an increased closing force is exerted when the door is in the fully closed pos'ition.

Obviously, the form o'ftlie' invention illustrated may be modified in some respects without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A door construction for an oven having an opening surrounding face including a first pair of aligned hinge brackets in spaced relation rigidly secured to the door, a pair of aligned hinge members rigidly secured adjacent the oven, means supporting said brackets and supported by said hinge members adapted to support the door in its closed position and during swinging movements thereof from closed to open position or vice versa, a second pair of aligned hinge brackets in spaced relation to one another and to the first pair rigidly secured to the door, a spring-controlled linkage pivotally mounted on either side of the oven including a principal link, a roller journaled in a stationary bracket in constant contact with the underside of the principal link of each linkage, an offset on each principal link adapted in cooperation with the roller to prevent fortuitous opening of tne door, a pivotal connection between one end of each said principal link and one of said second pair of hinge brackets, a reversely curved stop portion formed on the other end of each principal link to limit the downward movement of the door, a hump formed on each principal link adjacent the offset thereon adapted to retard the movement of the door as it approaches the end of its closing movement, and also adapted to maintain the door ajar when desired, and means included in the door supporting hinge arrangement adapted in cooperation with said linkage to automatically maintain the closed door firmly against the opening surrounding face of the oven regardless of irregularities present in said face or in the rear panel of said door.

2. Automatically adjustable closure means for an oven opening including, a door, spaced hinge assemblies to support the door near the bottom thereof, each assembly including a hinge pin and two hinge members, means loosely connecting the hinge pin and one of the two hinge members included in each assembly, at least one linkage adapted in cooperation with said hinge assemblies to maintain the door in adjusted po- 15 sitionfirmlt? closing-the oven opening: :toefie'd tively seal: the same, said linkage comprising ;-a first "link adapted to: be pivotally mounted. on. a siderwall of the-oven, a second link pivotally :connected at one endto the door. intermediate the vtcpand bottom thereof, a rod connection between the other end of the secondlink and the free :end of the first link, a stationary support; a roller journaled in said: stationary supportxin contactwith the underside of the second link, a stationary bracket, a rod slidably carried in said stationary bracket and connected :at its upper end; toythe first link, a spring seat attached to said rod; a coil spring surrounding said rod and interposed between aportion of said stationary bracket and said spring seat, and a nut engagingthethreaded lower end portion of the rod to maintain the spring seat in proper positionnand to increase or decrease the tension of said spring. 3. In combination with a range includinga casing having a. front wall, end walls, an oven and an oven opening, a door for said opening comprising a'front panel and a rear panel in spaced relation, means for supporting the door in its closed position comprising spaced hinge membersattached to the casing and cooperating hinge brackets attached to the door, a hinge pin journaled in registering circular apertures in each hinge bracket and-passing through an elongated horizontally disposed slot in each hinge member providing the pivotal connection, means for limiting the downward travel of the door and for supporting same in its open position comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to the door at opposite sides and intermediate the top and bottom thereof and having a stop portion formed on their free ends, a roller journaled intermediate the oven and the end wall of said casing for supporting one of said links during door opening and closing movements, a similar roller attached to one end wall of the oven for supporting the other of said links, an offset formed in each link engageable by its associated roller to prevent fortuitous opening of the door, a counterweight secured to one of the links, and means connected with the other link adapted to effectively maintain the door yieldingly but firmly against the front wall of the casing about the oven opening.

4. In combination with a range including a casing having a front wall, end walls, an oven and an oven opening, a door for said opening comprising a front panel and a rear panel in spaced relation, means for supporting the door in its closed position at the bottom comprising spaced hinge members attached to the casing and cooperating hinge brackets attached to the door, a hinge pin journaled in registering circular apertures in each hinge bracket and passing through an elongated horizontally disposed slot in each hinge member providing the pivotal connection, means for limiting the downward travel of the door and for supporting same in its open position comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to the door at opposite sides and intermediate the top and bottom thereof and having a stop portion formed on their free ends, a roller journaled intermediate the oven and the end wall of said casing for supporting one of said links during door opening and closing movements, a similar roller journaled at and rigidly attached to one end wall of the oven for supporting the other of said links, an offset formed in each link engageable by its associated roller to prevent fortuitous opening of the door, a downwardly extending hump formed in each.

7 link adjacent the offset therein, a counterweight secured to one of the links, and means connected with the other link adapted to eiiectively maintain the door'yieldingly but firmly against the front Wall of the casing about the oven opening, a partition panel in the range, a bracket rigidly attached to said partitionpanel, said last means comprising a link having an aperture in one end and a stud formed on saidbracket rigidly attached to said partition panel, said link being pivotally carried by said stud, a rod terminating in hook portions connecting the free end of said link with the free end of one of said first mentioned pair of links, an angular bracket having falateral extension secured to the bracket supporting panel, a rod slidably received in an aperture in said lateral extension, said rod having an upper end terminating in a hook portion engag- :lng said aperture in said stud supported link, a spring seat adjustably mounted on the threaded lower end of said rod, a nut to maintain the spring seat in adjusted position, and a coil spring surrounding a portion of the rod and interposed between said apertured lateral extension of the stationary bracket and the spring seat.

EDWIN A. JONES. ROBERT E. GARDINER.

REFERENCES, CITED The following references are of record in the file. of this patent:

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